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The Sounding Board by R J Lannan |
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RJ Lannan is the reviewer for The Sounding Board. |
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| Spirit Touch |
| By Joseph Akins |
| Label: HeartSong Music |
| Released 11/1/2009 |
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| Spirit Touch tracks |
1. Spirit Prelude
2. Spirit Touch
3. The Butterfly Ride
4. Cascades
5. Night Shadows
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6. Feeling Joy
7. Little Arwen
8. Dance of My Ancestors
9. 1,001 Nights
10. My Rainbow
11. Tennessee Waltz
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Where There’s A Will... |
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He is one of the most unpretentious persons I have ever met in my life. Before each number he would stare at his instrument for a moment, get his bearings, take a deep breath and forge ahead. I watched him play the piano with a studiousness I have never seen before. As he spoke in between performances, it was like listening to St. Joseph talk about carpentry. He is warm, funny, self-effacing and he has a Ph.D. Dr. Joseph Akins, head of the prestigious Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University obviously practices what he preaches. His album Spirit Touch, one of his many, is warm, subtle and precise.
When you are a writer like yours truly, you are urged to write about what you know. In Dr. A’s case he plays and composes about what he knows and considerably more. His life has been plagued with personal setbacks of late, but he doesn’t compose music that borders on the melancholy. Instead, he takes the weaknesses, the turmoil and the setbacks, turns them around and composes music about the challenges of the life. His contemporary piano tunes laced with a bit of light ensemble here and there are meditative as well as uplifting.
Spirit Prelude, a light, yet vibrant tune opens the mind and heart and prepares it for the experience that is to come. It says get ready for unto you will be joy and beauty. Incidentally, great cello by Matt Nelson on this cut. The title tune, Spirit Touch and the prelude are companionable pieces. Spirit Touch does deliver on its promise; it stirs deeply into the heart where the doubts and fears of everyday living dwell. It assuages the "what if's" and "why not's" of our daily struggle and gives us a feeling of hopefulness.
The Butterfly Ride is a sweet song in its melody and simplicity. Akins does this one solo and I suspect there is a bit of Erik Satie in the mix. Have to watch out for that butterfly effect though. I could almost see the orange fluttery wings of a Monarch as she changed the world for the better.
Cascades turned out to be my favorite on the album. It is as close to a pure New Age track as can be had and it reminded me of some of the earlier works of David Lanz, particularly his collaboration with Tingstad and Rumbel called Woodlands. It is the sound of one piano in the forest playing accompanied by soft instrumentation. It has the shimmering sound of a waterfall, the echoing thunder of the falls and the nourishment it gives to all of the senses.
1001 Nights has a heady Middle Eastern feel. Dedicated to Kitaro, Joseph starts out with a zither-like sound that sets the mood for the tune and the drone of suspense and mystery takes over. The piano score and Middle Eastern percussion swell as if to say hear is your oasis of music. Surprisingly, the tune changes in the middle into a wondrous night song.
The Stewart/King sentimental chestnut Tennessee Waltz, one of the many tunes taught to him by his father finishes the album. The popular song has been recorded by everyone from Patti Page to Norah Jones spanning more than a fifty-year history. Joseph injects passion into the melody in reverent tribute to his father. It comes out as a smooth jazz ballad with the surprising added benefit of inorganic chorus.
Spirit Touch is technically correct in every way with just the right amount of feeling. It has an appealing mix of solo and instrumental works that beckons to your heart with every listen. I had never heard of Dr. Joseph Akins until I saw him perform, but one thing I can say is that he knows the emotional value of music. I wonder if he can teach me piano?
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Rating: Very Good  |
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- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 12/20/2009 |
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